Lent is a forty-day journey where we prayerfully prepare for Jesus’ death and resurrection. We do many things as a community to take part in the prayerfulness of this season. This year we gather on Wednesday evenings to share a meal provided by our youth. After our time of fellowship, we will hold a time of song and prayer, using the Holden Evening Prayer. This is a worship service from a Christian retreat center in the mountains of Washington state.
I regularly make a habit of reading new books. I especially like to remain inside with a good book to avoid the outside tundra. My goal is always to be learning and growing. For example, this last fall, I read a book about youth ministry called “The End of Youth Ministry: Why Parents Don’t Really Care about Youth Groups and What Youth Workers Should Do About It” by Andrew Root.
Merry Christmas!
Yes, I know it is January. Did you think that Christmas has come and gone? I am here to remind you that Christmas is a season that is twelve days long. We have the opportunity to celebrate the mystery of our God being born a human baby until January 6th.
This Christmas, I witnessed the Holy Spirit gather so many people together for worship and fellowship.
“Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!” (ELW, 262)
This December, we celebrate the season of Advent. From now until Christmas, we wait for our Lord, Jesus Christ, to come to us. We wait for our God to come incarnate as baby Jesus in Bethlehem. We wait for Jesus to come to our hearts and minds daily. We wait for Jesus to come again to judge the living and the dead in all of his glory.
“The Holy Spirit call us together as the people of God.” (ELW, 92)
The very first action of every worship is that the Holy Spirit draws people together. God is the initial actor in our worship.
We do not just go to church. We do not invite ourselves to worship. We do not create a worship experience. We do not drive to the church.